Chilly Paneer in Tomato Capsicum Gravy

This vegetarian gravy consists of paneer, bell peppers and tomato. Its, thick, creamy and very appetizing. Ideal for family dinners, brunches and parties. 

I know that you know (hope you got the F.R.I.E.N.D.S quote here ) how much I love cooking interesting curries and gravies! In fact there is one recipe every week which focuses on quick dinners and easy meal recipes. I know that it is a constant struggle for us homemakers to cook something new and delicious meal everyday. That is why I aim to bring to you some quick and easy meals that you can make at home even after a long tiring day. Talking about Indian curry and gravy, it is very flavorful, cooked with various whole spices, ingredients and veggies. I love trying out new varieties of Indian dishes, recreating old ones with my very own twist and trying out recipes that are passed down generations to generation. 

Paneer is one of the most common ingredient used to make Indian gravy/curry. It is our very own version of cottage cheese. We can have paneer in any dish and the second its added to a recipe, it elevates the flavors of the meal making it top-notch. Some of the popular paneer recipes on my blog are Paneer Makhani, Paneer Kofta Curry, Spicy Paneer Biryani, Beetroot Paneer Paratha, Sriracha Paneer, and the most pinned and shared recipe called Spinach & Paneer Puffs. That is the beauty of this cottage cheese, you can use it in any meal right from breakfast to dinner. Its even used in some traditional Indian desserts! If you are vegan, you can substitute it with tofu. However personally I just love paneer more. It's more delicious. 

Last week, we were approaching KR's birthday and were planning to leave for St. Augustine on Thursday. So I was busy winding up my kitchen and clearing up the fridge. By Tuesday, my fridge was wiped out except for 2 bell peppers and 3 tomatoes. I also had some leftover frozen paneer. That why I thought I will cook the regular paneer chilly recipe and serve it with brown rice. While I had the recipe in mind, I still wanted to check for some more options on Pinterest and that is when I stumbled upon this unique recipe at Cook with Manali. I used it as a reference and tweaked it my way like this. Cut thick slices of bell peppers after deseeding it. Reserve the leftover peppers. In a mixing bowl, add crumbled paneer, mashed potato, cilantro, coriander cumin powder, salt, garlic powder, green chillies and parsley. Mix it all together. Stuff this paneer mixture in the bell pepper slices tightly. Heat a pan, grill these bell pepper slices evenly on both the sides. Smear oil while grilling. Keep them aside.

Now it's time to make the tomato gravy. Add tomatoes, cashews, dried red chillies, cumin seeds and onions in a mixer grinder. Splitz to a smooth paste. Add milk while grinding to give the paste a certain smoothness. Heat oil in a pan, fry garlic and the remaining bell peppers till they are done. Next add the ground tomato paste along with salt. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes so that the raw smell of tomatoes goes away. Add cilantro and give it a final mix. 

Before serving, add the grilled chilly paneer slices. Drizzle cream or yogurt if you wish to and serve hot. 

The grilled chilly paneer blends so well with the tomato gravy that it left mesmerized. It was lip smacking and delicious. The bell peppers in the tomato gravy gave this dish a crunch which I loved. I could just eat the grilled paneer chilly as is, it was so tasty. I am so glad that made this dish and served it for dinner with Garlic Coriander Naan. 

Chilly Paneer in Tomato Capsicum Gravy

This vegetarian gravy consists of paneer, bell peppers and tomato. Its, thick, creamy and very appetizing. Ideal for family dinners, brunches and parties. 

4 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Author: Priya Lakshminarayan

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 Bell Peppers
• ▢ 1 cup crumbled paneer
• ▢ 1 mashed potato
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 tbsp coriander cumin powder
• ▢ 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• ▢ 3-4 green chillies
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ Oil for grilling
• ▢ For the tomato paste
• ▢ 3 to matoes roughly chopped
• ▢ 6-7 cashews
• ▢ 2-3 dried red chillies
• ▢ 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 large onion roughly chopped
• ▢ Milk as required
• ▢ 2 garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tbsp cooking oil
• ▢ Cilantro for garnish
• ▢ Cream/Yogurt for garnish optional

Instructions

• Cut thick slices of bell peppers after deseeding it. Reserve the leftover peppers. In a mixing bowl, add crumbled paneer, mashed potato, cilantro, coriander cumin powder, salt, garlic powder, green chillies and parsley. Mix it all together. Stuff this paneer mixture in the bell pepper slices tightly. Heat a pan, grill these bell pepper slices evenly on both the sides. Smear oil while grilling. Keep them aside.
• Now it's time to make the tomato gravy. Add tomatoes, cashews, dried red chillies, cumin seeds and onions in a mixer grinder. Splitz to a smooth paste. Add milk while grinding to give the paste a certain smoothness. Heat oil in a pan, fry garlic and the remaining bell peppers till they are done. Next add the ground tomato paste along with salt. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes so that the raw smell of tomatoes goes away. Add cilantro and give it a final mix.
• Before serving, add the grilled chilly paneer slices. Drizzle cream or yogurt if you wish to and serve hot.

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KR's response to this meal was, "My birthday has begun on good note now!" I am so glad that my husband is a foodie just like me who enjoys his meal to the fullest and is always ready to experiment..read as taste my experiments! 😉 This recipe is what I call a simple vegetarian affair! Make it in your home as well and be prepared to be amazed by its flavors. Some other interesting gravy recipes are Shahi Parwal/Royal Ivy Gourd Curry, Lima Beans & Carrot cooked in Tomato Gravy, Creamy Tofu Spinach Mushroom Curry, Chickpea Stir Fry/Tawa Chole for you to try. They make excellent lunch box meals as well. 

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